Ruffling mechanism for sewing-machines.



A. 11. DE VOE. RUFILING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE 11, 1909.

984,080. Patented Feb. 14, 1911 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

h E miiailllm WITNESSES: /5 [NI/ENIOR m: mvmls PETERS co. \VAsHlNGTcN,a. c.

A. H. DE VOE.

RUFFLING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11,1909.

984,080. Patented Feb. 14,1911

n1: NORRIS PETERS co., wasxqma'mrv. an

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNTTED STAEd AENT UFF1E ALBERT 11. DE VOE, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR- TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

RUFIELING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1st, 1911.

Application filed June 11, 1909. Serial No. 501,460.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that T, ALBERT H. De Von, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new an d useful Improvements in Rutlling Mechanismfor Sewing-Wachines, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of ruftling andstitching machines in which the ruflling action is adapted to be variedwhile the machine is in operation, and it has for its principal objectthe provision of means whereby the range of the rattling action may beconveniently adjusted.

It has for its further object to provide means whereby an edge-folderassociated with the I'llil'lll'lg mechanism may be maintained inposition for effective operation in turning corners when the rutliingaction is temporarily increased.

:lccording to the present invention, in a sewing machine provided with auniformly reciprocatin rattler-blade, a separatoror shield-plate adaptedfor cooperation with the ruiiiing blade is fixed upon the free end cf aswing g lever extending transversely of the direction of feed andpivotally mounted upon a fulcrum-pin arranged parallel with thedirection of feed and itself mounted upon one arm of an angularcarrier-lever having a vertical fulcrum upon the machine frame so as toswing in a plane parallel with the work-plate. The said arm of saidcarrier-lever is normally pressed into contact with the operative end ofa stopscrew mounted in a fixed part of the machine and extendingforwardly thereof, and said arm carries a forwardly extending stopscrewwhose operative end engages a fixed shoulder of the machine frame whichserves to determine its other extreme position, and therefore the rangeof retractive movement of the separator-plate. The vertically tilt- 111glever upon which the separator-plate is mounted has fixed above theseparator-plate an 8(l, 6f0l(l61 whose delivery end extends in advanceof the fulcrum of the carrierlever, whereby the shift of said lever toretract the separator-plate for increasing the willing action serves tothrow the delivery end of the folder slightly outward transversely ofthe line of scam so as to counteract the tendency of the increasedrutliing action to contract the marginal portion of the rutlied ply ofmaterial, and insure uniforinity in the ruffled and stitched product.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a sewingmachine embodying the present improvement, with the workplate insection, and Fig. 2 a plan of the same with the overhanging portion ofthe bracket-arm and the work-plate omit-ted. Fig. 3 is a front end viewof the lower portion of the machine. Fig. d is an enlarged rear sideview of the separator-plate, its carrier and shifting means, and Fig. 5is a plan of the carrier-lever and its support.

As shown and described in my pending application Serial No. 457,538,filed October 13, 1908, the frame of the machine is constructed with thebase 1 and bracket-arm comprising the hollow standard 2 and overhangingportion 3 in which is journaled the vertically reciprocating needle-bar4i: carrying the needles 5 cooperating with the thread-carryin loopers Gin the production of parallel double chaiirstitch seams, the under plyof the work being advanced by the action of the feed-dog 7 carried bythe feedbar 8, in a manner well known. The resser-foot 9, opposed to thefeed-dog 7, is secured upon the lower end of the presserbar 10 andcarries upon its forward end the strip foldguide 11.

The main-shaft 12, journaled in the base 1, carries theruflier-actuating eccentric 13 embraced by a forked lateral arm 14 uponthe miller-actuating roclnshaft 15 mounted in fixed bearings 16 andhaving fixed upon its forward end the upright arm 17 adjustablyconnected by means of the screw-stud 1S wit-h the upright arm 19fulcrumed upon the supporting rocking pin 20 which is mounted within asuitable bearing at the front end of the machine bed. Pivoted upon theupper end of the vibratory arm 19 is the block 21 having therufiler-blade 22 fixed thereon by means of screws 23 and provided with adepending finger 2d engaged by the free end of the spring 25 carried bythe arm 19 whereby the ruiliing blade 22 is yieldingly pressed upwardly.The rufl'ling blade thus receives uniform reciprocatory operative orwork-advancing movements throughout the operation of the machine, itsrange of movement being initially determined by the ad justment of thepivotal connection 18 between the actuating arm 17 and the bladecarryingarm 19.

Over-lying the operative end of the ruffling blade 22 is theseparator-plate 26 which is fixed by suitable means upon the free end ofa lever 27 pivotally mounted to tilt vertically upon the pin 28 whichextends transversely of the bifurcated lug 29 extending upwardly fromthe shorter arm 30 of an angular carrier-lever disposed substantiallyparallel with the main-shaft 12 whose other arm 31 extends backwardly tothe rear of the machine, the carrier-lever being fulcrumed by means ofthe studecrew 32 tapped into a horizontal seat 33 upon which the lever30 31 is adapted to oscillate in a plane parallel with the work-plate34:. The lever 27 is provided with a rearward extension 27 carrying thevertically adjustable screw-pin 35 whose point normally rests upon oneend of a rod 36 secured within'the lug 29 and having its opposite endformed with a socket between the bottom of which and the under side ofthe lever 27 is interposed the spring 37 adapted to maintain the lever27 normally raised upon its pivotal pin 28. The lever extension 27 isshown formed with a longitudinal slit and pro vided with a transverseclamp-screw 35 adapted to draw the separate parts of the extensiontogether to clamp the screw-pin 35 in position. The turning of thestop-pin 35 in one or the other direction obviously varies the initialextent of elevation of the separator-plate 26 above the work-plate 34.

Rising from the fixed seat 33 are two spaced lugs 38 and 39 betweenwhich the re dueed outer end of the lever-arm 30 is adapted to move. Thelug 33 is transversely apertured to receive the threaded shank of thecontact-screw 40 extending through the same and having its knurled head41 extended toward the front of the machine. The shank of the screwintermediate the lug 38 and the head a1 is provided with a lockingsleeve 12 for maintaining the screw in the desired position ofadjustment. The forward edge of the lever-arm 30 is maintained normallyin contact with the point of the screw 40 by means of a spring 43interposed between the bottoms of sockets formed in the opposite edge ofthe lever-arm 30 and the adjacent face of the fixed lug 39. Thelever-arm 30 is provided with a transverse threaded aperture entered bythe forwardly extending contact-screw 414: provided with the knurledhead 45 adjacent that of the screw 40, and similarly provided withalocking sleeve 46. As will be observed, the engagement of the forwardedge of the leverarm 30 with the point of the contact-screw 40determines the initial lateral position of the carrying lever 27 and theseparator-plate mounted thereon, while the engagement of the point ofthe contact-screw a l with the adjacent side of the fixed lug 39similarly determines the extreme retracted position of the lever 27 andthe separator-plate, thus fixing the range of variation of the rutllingaction for a given adjustment of the machine.

Rising from the rearward side of the base 1 is a bearing lug 47 carryingthe fulcrumscrew as upon which is mounted an angular operating levercomprising an upwardly extending arm 49 adapted to engage one edge ofthe arm 31 of the carrying lever and a laterally extending arm 50 to theouter end of which is secured the cord or chain 51 connected with aknee-lever or treadle beneath the machilie-supporting table. Thedepression of the arm 50 of the operating lever causes the operativeengagement of the upright arm 19 with the lateral arm 31 of thecarrier-lever, which causes the forward movement of the lever 27 and theretraction of the separator-plate 26 to a position dc termined by theadjustment of the contactscrew ll, thereby exposing more or less of thematerial to be ruffled to the action of the rul'lling blade andcorrespondingly increasing the rutlling action.

Secured upon the top of the lever 27 by means of the fastening screws 52is the plate 53 to whose forward edge is secured the edge-turning scrollor folder 54 whose delivery end 56? extends somewhat in advance of thefulcrum-screw upon which its carrying lever 27 turns, said folder beingdirected toward the path of one of the needles as indicated in Fig. 2,wherein the position of the needles is indicated by the needleapertures55 formedv in the throat-plate 56. As will be readily observed, when thecar rying lever 27 is shifted upon the fulcrumscrew 32 to retract theseparator-plate 26, the delivery end of the folder 54: receives aretractive movement somewhat obliquely to the direction of feed, andtherefore has a slight movement transversely to the line of scam so asto increase the depth of the stitching from the folded edge of the plyof material guided thereby. This slight lateral movement of thefold-guide is advantageous, for the reason that, in the increasedfulling of the material owing to its greater exposure to the rufllingblade, the ruffled margin presented for the stitching operation isliable to be somewhat reduced, and the slight lateral movement of thefolder across the line of scam tends to compensate for this de feet andinsure uniformity of the spacing of the stitching from the edge of theruttled ply of material.

In the drawings, a lower edge folding guide 57 for the under ply ofmaterial is shown beneath the upper folder 54, the separator-plate 26and rufliing blade 22, but this forms no part of the presentimprovement.

The convenience of handling the worlr in introducing and withdrawing thesame from the machine is greatly increased by adapting the severalwork-engaging parts to be separated for the freemovenient of the severalplies of material independently; and in the present improvement, theemployment of the adjustable stop-screw 3-5 permits the separator-plate,which is normally pressed downwardly by the forward end of thepresserfoot, to rise only partially when the presser-foot is raised,thereby spacing the same intermediate the bottom .of the presserfoot andthe top of the throat-plate and per-- initi ting the easy adjustment ofthe plies of material above and belowthis member.

In the mechanism of my pending application before mentioned, the meansof adjusting the initial and extreme retracted positions of theseparator-plate do not permit of changes in variation of the fullness ofthe rutlies to such extent as is sometimes desired; but by the presentimprovement, the disposition of the contact-screws 40 l at the front ofthe machine and with their knurled heads conveniently exposed to theoperator, enables the required adjustment to be made in the shortestpossible time, and with the greatestconvenience.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis 1. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of rutliing mechanism including awo1'kengaging member, a senarator-plate, a swinging lever extendingtransversely of the direction of feed by which said separator-plate iscarried, a fixed fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted to swingparallel with the work-plate, an adjustable stop cooperating with saidlever in determining its initial position, a spring for normallymaintaining said lever in operative relation with said stop, and meansfor shifting said lever to change the operative relation of theseparator-plate with the ruffling member.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of rufliing mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a swinging lever extendingtransversely of the direction of feed by which said separator-plate iscarried, a fixed fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted to swingparallel with the work-plate, adjustable stop-members cooperating withsaid lever in determining its range of movement and extended forwardlythereof and exposed atthe front of the machine, and means for shiftingsaid lever to change the operative relation of the separator-plate withthe ruiiling member.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitcl1forming and feeding mechanisms, of rutlling mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a swinging lever extendingtransversely of the direction of feed by which said separatorplate iscarried, a fixed fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted to swingparallel with the work-plate, fixed abutments between which said leveradapted to move, an adjustable contactscrew carried by said lever andadapted to engage one of said fixed abutments, an adjustable contactscrew mounted in the other of said fixed abutments and adapted to engage said swinging lever, and means for shifting said lever between thelimits imposed by said contact-screws to change the operative relationof the separator-plate with the milling member.

et. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of rutliing mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a carrier, a fulcrum upon whichsaid carrier oscillates in a plane parallel with the worleplatc, atilting lever pivotally mounted upon said carrier to swing transverselyof the worleplate, and having said separator-plate rigidly attachedthereto, a spring intermediate said carrier and lever to maintain thelatter normally raised, a stop for limiting the movement of said leverunder the action of its spring, and means for shifting said lever withinthe direction of feed to change the operative relation of theseparator-plate with the rut fling member.

In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forn'iing and feeding mechanisms, of rutliing mechanism includinga work-engaging member, a sepa rator-plate, a carrier, a fulcrum uponwhich said carrier oscillates in a plane parallel with the work-plate, atilting lever pivotally mounted upon said carrier to swing transverselyof the work-plate and having said separator-plate rigidly attachedthereto, a spring intermediate said carrier and lever to maintain thelatter normally raised, a stop and an adjusting screw adapted to engagethe same, one of said members being provided upon said carrier and theother upon said lever, and means for shifting said form ed lever withinthe direction of feed to change the operative relation of theseparator-plate with the rattling member.

G. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of rutiiing mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a lever to which saidseparatorplate is secured, a carrier upon which said lever is mounted,said carrier being fulcrumed to swing in a plane parallel with thework-plate and provided w'th a projecting arm, a support for saidcarrier formed with paced abutments between which the arm of saidcarrier is adapted tomove laterally, adjustable stops applied to thecarrier-arm and said abutments for limiting the extent of movement ofsaid carrier, and means for shifting said carrier upon its fulcrum tochange the operative relation of the separator-plate with the rattlingmember.

7. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of ruttiing mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a lever to which saidseparatorplate is secured, a carrier upon which said lever is mounted,said carrier being fulerumed to swing in a plane parallel with thework-plate and provided with a projecting arm, a support for saidcarrier with spaced abutments between which the arm of said carrier isadapted to move laterally, a stop-screw mounted upon the carrier-arm andadapted to engage one of said abutments, a stop-screw mounted in theother of said abutments and adapted to engage said carrier-arm, andmeans for shifting said carrier upon its fulcrum to change the operativerelation of the separator-plate with the rattling member.

8. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of ruliling mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a swinging lever extendingtransversely of the direction of feed by' which said separator-plate iscarried, an edge-guide mounted upon said swlngmg lever with its deliveryend above sald separater-plate, a fixed fulcrum disposed in front of thedelivery end of saidedge-guide relative to the direction of feed andupon which said lever is mounted to swing parallel with the work-plate,and means for shifting said lever to change the operative relation ofthe separator-plate and edge guide with the ruftling member.

9. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of rutliing mechanism including awork-engagaing member, a separator-plate, a pluralarmed carrierleverfulcrumed at the front of the machine to swing parallel with thework-plate and having a rearwardly projecting arm 03:- tcnding to theback of the machine, a support for said separator-plate mounted uponsaid carrier, and an angular operating lever fulcrumed at the rear ofthe machine and beneath the work-plate to swing transversely ofthe.latter, and having one arm adapted to engage the rearwardlyextending arm of said carrier and another arm from which the samereceives its operative movements from beneath the machine.

10. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate andstitch-forming and feeding mechanisms, of rufiiing mechanism including awork-engaging member, a separator-plate, a fixed fulcrum, a swingingcarrying lever for the separator-plate mounted upon said fulcrum andfreely movable thereon parallel with the wo1'kplate, a stop in the pathof movement of said carrying lever, a spring acting upon said carryinglever in a direction transverse to said fulcrum for yieldinglymaintaining such lever in operative relation with said, step, and meansincluding an operating lever connected with said carrying lever forshifting the latter to change the position of the separator-plate.

In testimony whereof,I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. MIL ER, JOSEPH F. JA UrrH.

